Maurício Gardini - Curated Randomness/2020-04-04T00:00:00-03:002020, March2020-04-04T00:00:00-03:002020-04-04T00:00:00-03:00Maurício Gardinitag:None,2020-04-04:/curated-randomness/2020-march/<p class="first last">Here are the interesting links that I found on March 2020.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><strong>10 things to know about sleep as the clocks change</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/health-41666563">Interesting text</a> about sleep, with some interesting insights.</li>
<li><strong>A Five-Minute Guide to Better Typography</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.pierrickcalvez.com/journal/a-five-minutes-guide-to-better-typography">A very short guide</a>
with handy typography tips.</li>
<li><strong>No One Can Explain Why Planes Stay in the Air</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/health-41666563">Text</a>
talking about something that we usually take for granted.</li>
<li><strong>The Norwegian art of the packed lunch</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190103-the-norwegian-art-of-the-packed-lunch">Interesting text</a>
about this Norwegian tradition, and why it thrives still to this day.</li>
</ul>
2020, February2020-02-29T00:00:00-03:002020-02-29T00:00:00-03:00Maurício Gardinitag:None,2020-02-29:/curated-randomness/2020-february/<p class="first last">Here are the interesting links that I found on February 2020.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><strong>The <span class="caps">CSS</span> Cascade</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://wattenberger.com/blog/css-cascade">Really interesting and visual explanation</a>
of <span class="caps">CSS</span>’ cascading properties.</li>
<li><strong>How the Government Came to Decide the Color of Your Food</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-government-came-to-decide-color-your-food-180973962/">Really curious text</a> on why some foods look the way they look.</li>
<li><strong>How to Study: A Brief Guide</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://cse.buffalo.edu/~rapaport/howtostudy.html">Interesting text</a>
Interesting text that brings techniques on how to study. More targeted to
school students than to college (or later) ones, but the references and
additional readings are really interesting.</li>
<li><strong>The meaning of life in a world without work</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/08/virtual-reality-religion-robots-sapiens-book">Great thought exercise</a>
about what would be left for people who, in the future, may see their jobs
cease to exist.</li>
<li><strong>The Sixth Taste?</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.news.ucsb.edu/2017/018600/sixth-taste">This article</a> discusses that, after Umami,
a sixth taste is being studied: calcium.</li>
<li><strong>The Sound So Loud That It Circled the Earth Four Times</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="http://nautil.us/blog/the-sound-so-loud-that-it-circled-the-earth-four-times">Article</a> about Krakatoa’s eruption, which generated one of
the loudest sounds ever.</li>
<li><strong>What the f*ck Python!</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/satwikkansal/wtfpython/blob/master/README.md#structure-of-the-examples">Very curious and fun list</a>
of weird behaviors of the Python language.</li>
<li><strong>Why is it so hard to swat a fly?</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41284065">Curious text</a>
explaining the science behind the fly’s agility.</li>
</ul>
2020, January2020-02-01T00:00:00-03:002020-02-01T00:00:00-03:00Maurício Gardinitag:None,2020-02-01:/curated-randomness/2020-january/<p class="first last">Here are the interesting links that I found on January 2020.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><strong>Can we know what animals are thinking?</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://medium.economist.com/can-we-know-what-animals-are-thinking-83991bc994c4">Great long read</a> about how animals’ minds.</li>
<li><strong>Hand powered drilling tools and machines</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2010/12/hand-powered-drilling-tools-and-machines.html">Long read</a> about the history of hand drilling tools.</li>
<li><strong>The Languages Which Almost Became <span class="caps">CSS</span></strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://blog.cloudflare.com/the-languages-which-almost-became-css/">Interesting text</a> about the history of <span class="caps">CSS</span> and all its
language proposals.</li>
<li><strong>The Little Book of Python Anti-Patterns</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://docs.quantifiedcode.com/python-anti-patterns/index.html">Very interesting list</a> of Python anti-patterns
and worst practices.</li>
<li><strong>Polynesian people used binary numbers 600 years ago</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.nature.com/news/polynesian-people-used-binary-numbers-600-years-ago-1.14380">Interesting text</a> about how the base-2 system
was used way before the computer era.</li>
<li><strong>A tiny tweak to sugar is about to make the world’s sweets a lot healthier</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://qz.com/1346334/a-new-form-of-sugar-made-in-israel-is-about-to-make-european-cake-and-candy-much-healthier/">article</a> about how companies are trying to make less
harmful versions of sugar.</li>
<li><strong>Why Nature Prefers Hexagons</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="http://nautil.us/issue/35/Boundaries/why-nature-prefers-hexagons">Great article</a> about the reasons why honeycombs, soap
bubbles and other things in nature have a tendency to be hexagonal.</li>
<li><strong>Why We Can’t Have the Male Pill</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-03/why-we-can-t-have-the-male-pill">Interesting article</a> explaining the reasons why the male
pill hasn’t been invented yet.</li>
</ul>
2019, December2020-01-04T00:00:00-03:002020-01-04T00:00:00-03:00Maurício Gardinitag:None,2020-01-04:/curated-randomness/2019-december/<p class="first last">Here are the interesting links that I found on December 2019.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><strong>8 <span class="caps">CSS</span> gotchas to start your morning off right</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://medium.com/@isaaclyman/8-css-gotchas-to-start-your-morning-off-right-c5daade0731d">fun article</a> about some common misconceptions about <span class="caps">CSS</span>.</li>
<li><strong>The Attention Diet</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://markmanson.net/attention-diet">Great long read</a> about how
we live in a world full of information and stimuli, and how we should
approach this.</li>
<li><strong>Code Smells</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://blog.codinghorror.com/code-smells/">Comprehensive list</a> of types of
code smells.</li>
<li><strong>Creating Usability with Motion: The <span class="caps">UX</span> in Motion Manifesto</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://medium.com/ux-in-motion/creating-usability-with-motion-the-ux-in-motion-manifesto-a87a4584ddc">Very interesting and visual article</a> explaining the
“The 12 Principles of <span class="caps">UX</span> in Motion”.</li>
<li><strong>It took a century to create the weekend—and only a decade to undo it</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://qz.com/969245/it-took-a-century-to-create-the-weekend-and-only-a-decade-to-undo-it/">This text</a> showcases the history of how the concept of
weekend was conceived.</li>
<li><strong>Stronger Than Steel, Able to Stop a Speeding Bullet—It’s Super Wood!</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/stronger-than-steel-able-to-stop-a-speeding-bullet-mdash-it-rsquo-s-super-wood/">this article</a> talks about the super wood, a new product
that, through new techniques, makes wood really tough.</li>
<li><strong>The Sugar Conspiracy</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/07/the-sugar-conspiracy-robert-lustig-john-yudkin">interesting article</a>
that talks about how, in 1972, a British scientist sounded the alarm that
sugar – and not fat – was the greatest danger to our health.</li>
<li><strong>The Website Obesity Crisis</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://idlewords.com/talks/website_obesity.htm">interesting talk</a>
about how websites are getting more and more bloated.</li>
<li><strong>Why office noise bothers some people more than others</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20191115-office-noise-acceptable-levels-personality-type">This article</a> explains why, for some people, simple
noises can be such a hassle.</li>
<li><strong>Why this Brazilian city uses tilapia fish skin to treat burn victims</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/brazilian-city-uses-tilapia-fish-skin-treat-burn-victims">interesting article</a> about the use of tilapia fish skin
as an alternative method to treat burn victims.</li>
</ul>
2019, November2019-11-30T00:00:00-03:002019-11-30T00:00:00-03:00Maurício Gardinitag:None,2019-11-30:/curated-randomness/2019-november/<p class="first last">Here are the interesting links that I found on November 2019.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><strong>Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting biodegradable solution to plastic pollution</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://phys.org/news/2017-04-caterpillar-bags-biodegradable-solution-plastic.html">interesting article</a> showing the discovery of the
plastic-eating behavior of caterpillars.</li>
<li><strong>Feel the burn: why do we love chilli?</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/23/why-do-we-love-chilli-pharmacology-psychology-flavour-pain-feel-the-burn">interesting article</a>
about how the chilli is perceived by the human body and why some people
actually seek its burn.</li>
<li><strong>How a Frog Became the First Mainstream Pregnancy Test</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/05/how-a-frog-became-the-first-mainstream-pregnancy-test/525285/">interesting story</a> of this quirky fact.</li>
<li><strong>The Internet Isn’t Making Us Dumber — It’s Making Us More ‘Meta-Ignorant’</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.thecut.com/2016/07/the-internet-isnt-making-us-dumber-its-making-us-more-meta-ignorant.html">Article</a> about the effect of the internet on how
we think.</li>
<li><strong><span class="caps">SSH</span> Port</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.ssh.com/ssh/port">This text</a> exhibits the history on how the
port 22 became the <span class="caps">SSH</span> Port.</li>
<li><strong>Six programming paradigms that will change how you think about coding</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.ybrikman.com/writing/2014/04/09/six-programming-paradigms-that-will/">Interesting text</a> about programming paradigms.</li>
<li><strong>Why Don’t We Know How to Protect Our Time?</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://forge.medium.com/why-dont-we-know-how-to-protect-our-time-a88859deea2e">This text</a> shows how we take little action on protecting
our free time.</li>
<li><strong>Why Hyperlinks Are Blue (and Other Quirky Web Origin Stories)</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/why-hyperlinks-are-blue/">A list</a> reporting the history of hyperlinks, <span class="caps">SPAM</span> and other.</li>
</ul>
2019, October2019-11-02T00:00:00-03:002019-11-02T00:00:00-03:00Maurício Gardinitag:None,2019-11-02:/curated-randomness/2019-october/<p class="first last">Here are the interesting links that I found on October 2019.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><strong>The Absolute Minimum Every Software Developer Absolutely, Positively Must Know About Unicode and Character Sets (No Excuses!)</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2003/10/08/the-absolute-minimum-every-software-developer-absolutely-positively-must-know-about-unicode-and-character-sets-no-excuses/">2003 article</a> about character sets, still interesting
despite its age.</li>
<li><strong>How scientists are bringing people back from the dead</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.popsci.com/reanimators/reanimators">interesting text</a> showing how scientists are
“pressing pause” on patients’ lives and how this could mean the difference
between life and death.</li>
<li><strong>It’s the year 2038–here’s how we’ll eat 20 years in the future</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90222618/what-the-future-of-food-will-look-like-in-2038">Interesting imaginative exercise</a> on how we’ll be
eating in 2038.</li>
<li><strong>The Longest, Most Brutal Wars on Earth Are Fought on Ant-Sized Scales</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://aeon.co/videos/the-longest-most-brutal-wars-on-earth-are-fought-on-ant-sized-scales">interesting video</a> about ants, and how some of its species are
on a long lasting war till today.</li>
<li><strong>Picturing the Future: How a shadowy consortium controls the evolution of emoji</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://newrepublic.com/article/155284/unicode-consortium-polices-emoji-speech-thought?utm_source=pocket-newtab">Long text</a> about how new emojis are chosen, and all the thought
that happens to add each symbol.</li>
<li><strong>Scientists may have finally pinpointed humanity’s ancestral hometown</strong> -
“People want to know where we come from.”, and <a class="reference external" href="https://www.inverse.com/article/60470-hometown-for-humanity">this text</a>
shows the discoveries that were made on this subject.</li>
<li><strong>Spiders Can Fly Hundreds of Miles Using Electricity</strong> - Scientists are
finally starting to understand the centuries-old mystery of “ballooning”.
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/07/the-electric-flight-of-spiders/564437/">This article</a> talks about it.</li>
<li><strong>When “easy mode” isn’t enough: An analysis of unclear lessons in video games</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/10/when-easy-mode-isnt-enough-an-analysis-of-unclear-lessons-in-video-games/">Detailed analysis</a> answers why even classics like Super Mario
Bros. can confuse.</li>
</ul>
2019, September2019-10-05T00:00:00-03:002019-10-05T00:00:00-03:00Maurício Gardinitag:None,2019-10-05:/curated-randomness/2019-september/<p class="first last">Here are the interesting links that I found on September 2019.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><strong>184 <span class="caps">MPH</span> on a Bicycle</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/184-mph-on-a-bicycle-11547312398?mod=e2tw">Great video</a> that narrates how
the world record in a bicycle was broken.</li>
<li><strong>How do people learn to cook a poisonous plant safely?</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48859333">Short text</a> that explains how we learn by trial and
error, and by copying others.</li>
<li><strong>How to Take the Perfect Nap</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://elemental.medium.com/how-to-take-the-perfect-nap-397ee26a64c7">10 science-backed tips</a>
for more productive shut-eye.</li>
<li><strong>If the moon were 1 pixel: a tediously accurate scale model of the Solar System</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="http://joshworth.com/dev/pixelspace/pixelspace_solarsystem.html">Great visual representation</a> of the Solar Space, and
all the empty space on it.</li>
<li><strong>Inventors and the invention: The Rolling Fluid Turbine</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/inventors-and-the-invention-the-rolling-fluid-turbine">Text</a> about this interesting invention.</li>
<li><strong>The Game That Made Rats Jump for Joy</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/09/why-scientists-taught-rats-play-hide-and-seek/597799/">Article</a>
explaining how rats were trained to play hide-and-seek. And they really
enjoyed that.</li>
<li><strong>The Mysterious Bronze Objects That Have Baffled Archaeologists for Centuries</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/514246/are-roman-dodecahedrons-worlds-most-mysterious-artifact">Article</a> about the roman dodecahedrons, artifacts that
archeologists are still trying to understand to this day.</li>
<li><strong>Taster’s Choice: Why I Hate Raw Tomatoes and You Don’t</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cocktail-party-physics/tasters-choice-why-i-hate-raw-tomatoes-and-you-dont/">Very interesting article</a> explaining the science
behind taste.</li>
<li><strong>The Unusual Language That Linguists Thought Couldn’t Exist</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://nautil.us/blog/-the-unusual-language-that-linguists-thought-couldnt-exist">Article</a> about the Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language,
a language that is quite different from the others.</li>
<li><strong>What happens to your body when you die in space</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.popsci.com/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-die-in-space/">This text</a> speaks about all the scientific and ethical
dilemmas that dying in space creates.</li>
<li><strong>Why you shouldn’t exercise to lose weight, explained with 60+ studies</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://getliner.com/AaD03">Interesting text</a> about the relation of exercise and weight loss.</li>
</ul>
2019, August2019-08-31T00:00:00-03:002019-08-31T00:00:00-03:00Maurício Gardinitag:None,2019-08-31:/curated-randomness/2019-august/<p class="first last">Here are the interesting links that I found on August 2019.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><strong>The Dream of Open Borders Is Real—in the High Arctic</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.thenation.com/article/svalbard-arctic-open-borders/">Great long read</a> about Svalbard, the land with open borders.</li>
<li><strong>Inside a Top-Secret Factory Where Scent Is Made</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://mentalfloss.com/article/60363/inside-top-secret-factory-where-scent-made">Interesting text</a> about how a Scent Factory works.</li>
<li><strong>Life is tough</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://aeon.co/essays/extremophiles-and-life-in-the-most-unlikely-of-places">Great text</a> about tardigrades and
other extremophiles.</li>
<li><strong>Many of us have a little bit of hoarder inside us — here’s what to do</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://ideas.ted.com/many-of-us-have-a-little-bit-of-hoarder-inside-us-heres-what-to-do/">Short text</a> with interesting thoughts about the hoarder that
is inside us.</li>
<li><strong>The Tunnel of Samos</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://fermatslibrary.com/s/the-tunnel-of-samos">Great paper</a> about The
Tunnel of Samos, one of the greatest engineering achievements of ancient times.</li>
<li><strong>The untold story of the vegetable peeler that changed the world</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90239156/the-untold-story-of-the-vegetable-peeler-that-changed-the-world">Interesting story</a> about the <span class="caps">OXO</span> Swivel, a vegetable
peeler from the 20th century that is praised to this day.</li>
<li><strong>The Vegetarians Who Turned Into Butchers</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/06/dining/butchers-meat-vegetarian-vegan.html">Interesting report</a> of vegans and vegetarians that
discovered that selling meat is their vocation.</li>
<li><strong>Was E-mail a Mistake?</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/was-e-mail-a-mistake">Nice text</a> on the power of
synchronized communication, and why it shouldn’t be completely avoided.</li>
<li><strong>Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.vulture.com/2017/02/video-games-are-better-than-real-life.html">Long read</a>
about how video games have replaced work hours for many people, and the
side effects of this behavior.</li>
<li><strong>Why food memories are so powerful</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20190826-why-food-memories-are-so-powerful">Great personal report</a> of how food memories can bridge
the mental gaps of our past memories</li>
<li><strong>Why we fell for clean eating</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/aug/11/why-we-fell-for-clean-eating">Really comprehensive article</a> about “clean eating” and
the perils of pseudo science and extremism.</li>
<li><strong>Zealandia: The Lost Continent That Sank Beneath New Zealand</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://allthatsinteresting.com/zealandia">Article about Zealandia</a>, the continent that never was.</li>
</ul>
2019, July2019-08-03T00:00:00-03:002019-08-03T00:00:00-03:00Maurício Gardinitag:None,2019-08-03:/curated-randomness/2019-july/<p class="first last">Here are the interesting links that I found on July 2019.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><strong>21 Rhetorical Devices Explained</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/60234/21-rhetorical-devices-explained">This article</a>
gives names to some rethorical devices that we are used to use.</li>
<li><strong>43 Embarrassing Grammar Mistakes Even Smart People Make</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/43-embarrassing-phrases-even-smart-people-use.html">Interesting compendium</a> of common
English language mistakes.</li>
<li><strong>Chinese Characters Are Futuristic and the Alphabet Is Old News</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/11/chinese-computers/504851/">Interesting text</a> on how chinese characters are
inputted on devices can give us a glimpse of how the world will type
characters in the future.</li>
<li><strong>How Hash Algorithms Work</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="http://www.metamorphosite.com/one-way-hash-encryption-sha1-data-software">A very thorough walkthrough</a> explaining how a
hash algorithm works.</li>
<li><strong>It’s possible to build a Turing machine within Magic: The Gathering</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/06/its-possible-to-build-a-turing-machine-within-magic-the-gathering/">Ars Technica’s article</a> about an article that states that
Magic: The Gathering is Turing Complete.</li>
<li><strong>I’ve been studying logos for decades. Here’s what changed this year</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90362194/ive-been-analyzing-logos-for-20-years-heres-what-changed-this-year">Great article</a> showing 2019’s logo visual trends.</li>
<li><strong>Make Driving Dangerous Again</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.outsideonline.com/2360451/make-driving-dangerous-again">A fun text</a>
on why making driving dangerous would make our roads safer.</li>
<li><strong><span class="caps">NASA</span>’s idea for making food from thin air just became a reality — it could feed billions</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/protein-from-air">Nice article</a> about “Solein”, a protein powder that
is similar in form and taste to wheat flour and that can be extracted
from thin air.</li>
<li><strong>The Purpose Of Life Is Not Happiness: It’s Usefulness</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://dariusforoux.com/happiness-usefulness/">One of of the great Darius Foroux texts</a>,
this time talking about the importance of being useful.</li>
<li><strong>The Sheldon Conjecture</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://fermatslibrary.com/s/the-sheldon-conjecture">Interesting article</a>
about the “Sheldon prime”.</li>
<li><strong>The Sinkhole that saved the Internet</strong> - A very interesting
<a class="reference external" href="https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/08/the-wannacry-sinkhole/">Tech Crunch text</a> about how buying a domain may
have prevented a catastrophic WannaCry outbreak.</li>
<li><strong>The Torturous History of the Treadmill</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://thewirecutter.com/blog/history-of-the-treadmill">Great article</a> about the history of the treadmill.</li>
<li><strong>Track This Link</strong> - Very interesting <a class="reference external" href="https://trackthis.link/">Mozilla site</a>
that tries to tackle on the web tracking issue that we all have to live with daily.</li>
<li><strong>User Inyerface</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://userinyerface.com/">An unnerving site</a> that explores
all the common user interaction and design pattern issues that are found
on the web.</li>
<li><strong>Why We Forget Most of the Books We Read</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/01/what-was-this-article-about-again/551603/">Interesting text</a> on why we forget what we read.</li>
</ul>
2019, June2019-06-29T00:00:00-03:002019-06-29T00:00:00-03:00Maurício Gardinitag:None,2019-06-29:/curated-randomness/2019-june/<p class="first last">Here are the interesting links that I found on June 2019.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><strong>The Definitive Study on How to Make Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://slate.com/culture/2019/06/how-to-hard-boil-eggs-perfectly.html">Great experiment</a> on what’s the best method to
make hard-boiled eggs.</li>
<li><strong>Ditch the <span class="caps">GPS</span>. It’s ruining your brain.</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ditch-the-gps-its-ruining-your-brain/2019/06/05/29a3170e-87af-11e9-98c1-e945ae5db8fb_story.html">Interesting text</a>
on how our day to day <span class="caps">GPS</span> using may be spoiling us.</li>
<li><strong>Honey bees zero in on the empty set</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6393/1069">Science’s article</a> on how bees appear to understand the
concept of zero.</li>
<li><strong>How <span class="caps">HTTPS</span> Works</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://howhttps.works/">Great site</a> that explains in a
really simple and fun way how <span class="caps">HTTPS</span> works.</li>
<li><strong>The Hiding Place: Inside the World’s First Long-Term Storage Facility for Highly Radioactive Nuclear Waste</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://psmag.com/ideas/the-hiding-place-inside-the-worlds-first-long-term-storage-facility-for-highly-radioactive-nuclear-waste">This Pacific Standard artcile</a> brings an
excerpt from Robert Macfarlane’s new book Underland, showing what it’s being
done about the nuclear waste that we produce.</li>
<li><strong>Never Underestimate The Impact Of A Single Rotten Apple</strong> - A single
lazy person in a team can have a big impact on it,
<a class="reference external" href="https://dariusforoux.com/rotten-apple/">as this text states</a>. I think we all have experienced
something similar during our work career.</li>
<li><strong>The next big thing in fashion? Not washing your clothes</strong> -
Not washing your clothes seems gross, but not if you are using one of
these <a class="reference external" href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90359188/the-next-big-thing-in-fashion-not-washing-your-clothes">travel clothes</a>.</li>
<li><strong>Organic Farming, Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Ant-Processed Coffee</strong> -
By observing the nature do its thing, a coffee grower discovered an
interesting new product. <a class="reference external" href="https://sprudge.com/organic-farming-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-ant-processed-coffee-144132.html">This text</a> talks about it.</li>
<li><strong>Too Many People Want to Travel</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/06/crowds-tourists-are-ruining-popular-destinations/590767/">The Atlantic’s article</a>
on the perils of overtourism, which has led to environmental degradation,
dangerous conditions, and the immiseration and pricing-out of locals in
many places.</li>
<li><strong>Watch a Moth Suck the Tears Out of a Bird’s Eye, Because Nature Is Metal</strong> -
Nature can be weird sometimes, as shown on
<a class="reference external" href="moth_drinks_bird_tears">Live Science’s article</a>.</li>
</ul>
2019, May2019-06-01T00:00:00-03:002019-06-01T00:00:00-03:00Maurício Gardinitag:None,2019-06-01:/curated-randomness/2019-may/<p class="first last">Here are the interesting links that I found on May 2019.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><strong>A Bizarre Form of Water May Exist All Over the Universe</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="bizarre_form_water">This Wired article</a> talks about the findings
that confirmed the existence of superionic ice.</li>
<li><strong>Florida beer used butterflies in the brewing process</strong> - First Magnitude
Brewing brewed a beer with yeast extracted from a butterfly. More about
that on <a class="reference external" href="https://www.tampabay.com/food-news/florida-beer-used-butterflies-in-the-brewing-process-20190523">Tampa Bay Times</a>‘s article.</li>
<li><strong>Here’s Why Automakers Don’t Advertise How Long It Takes To Fully Charge An Electric Car</strong> -
there’s a very interesting reason for that.
<a class="reference external" href="battery_charging">Jalopnik explains</a> about this.</li>
<li><strong>Ice - Phases</strong> - Related to the Wired article,
<a class="reference external" href="ice_phases">this Wikipedia article</a> talks about all the existing
ice phases.</li>
<li><strong>Impossible Foods’ rising empire of almost-meat</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/19/impossible-foods-burger-sausage-empire/">Engadged’s article</a> on the creator of the
Impossible’s burger, a meat paddy that is entirely vegetarian and
that its enthusiasts says it tastes just like meat.</li>
<li><strong>Marcus Aurelius: 3 Rules For Life</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://dariusforoux.com/marcus-aurelius-3-rules-for-life/">Great text from Darius Foroux</a> about Marcus Aurelius’
3 rules for life. Something to meditate on.</li>
<li><strong>Moondust Could Cloud Our Lunar Ambitions</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.wired.com/story/moondust-nasa-lunar-ambitions/">Wired text</a>
on how the recent discoveries about moon dust could cause trouble to future
moon exploration.</li>
<li><strong>On the Hunt for the World’s Rarest Pasta</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20161014-the-secret-behind-italys-rarest-pasta">This article</a> talks about the journey that it takes to
get the chance to taste <em>su filindeu</em>, the rarest pasta in the world.</li>
<li><strong>Plants Complain to Their Friends When the Neighborhood Gets Too Crowded</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://gizmodo.com/plants-complain-to-their-friends-when-the-neighborhood-1825746252">Interesting article</a> talking about how plants can
communicate by sending chemical signals through the soil.</li>
<li><strong>Table for one: how eating alone is radically changing our diets</strong> -
there are many consequences that inadvertently happen due to frequently
dining solo. <a class="reference external" href="table_for_one">This The Guardian text</a> discusses about this.</li>
<li><strong>The curious origins of the dollar symbol</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20190528-the-curious-origin-of-the-symbol?utm_source=pocket-newtab">A <span class="caps">BBC</span> text</a> unveiling the likely origins of the dollar symbol.</li>
<li><strong>The unlikely origins of <span class="caps">USB</span>, the port that changed everything</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3060705/an-oral-history-of-the-usb">Interesting interview</a> with the key players of the <span class="caps">USB</span> creation.</li>
<li><strong>What is neurogastronomy?</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.alimentarium.org/en/magazine/science/what-is-neurogastronomy">Interesting text</a>
that talks about how we eat not only with our mouth, but also with our
eyes, nose, hands and brain.</li>
</ul>
2019, April2019-04-27T00:00:00-03:002019-04-27T00:00:00-03:00Maurício Gardinitag:None,2019-04-27:/curated-randomness/2019-april/<p class="first last">Here are the interesting links that I found on April 2019.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><strong>10 Letters We Dropped from the Alphabet</strong>: <a class="reference external" href="10_letters">the video below</a>
shows 10 letters that used to be used, but didn’t quite stand the test
of time.</li>
</ul>
<iframe class="video-embed" width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zUrDUxh5xS0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><ul class="simple">
<li><strong>Death by PowerPoint: the slide that killed seven people</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://mcdreeamiemusings.com/new-blog/2019/4/13/gsux1h6bnt8lqjd7w2t2mtvfg81uhx">This text</a> shows the importance of proper
communication — no matter the media you’re using to communicate.</li>
<li><strong>How Do Japanese Dump Trash? Let Us Count the Myriad Ways</strong> -
You’ll be surprised by how much effort that Japan citizens dedicate to
proper trash sorting. <a class="reference external" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/12/world/asia/how-do-japanese-dump-trash-let-us-count-the-myriad-ways.html">This New York Times article</a>
gives us a glimpse on that.</li>
<li><strong>How To Be More Productive by Working Less</strong> - As
<a class="reference external" href="more_productive">Mark Manson’s text</a> explains why working more hours
doesn’t implies on creating more.</li>
<li><strong>How to Write a Git Commit Message</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://chris.beams.io/posts/git-commit/">This text</a> exposes
seven simple rules to create great Git commit messages.</li>
<li><strong>Less Tweeting, More Doing</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://www.outsideonline.com/2345216/less-tweeting-more-doing">This text</a> talks about
how fruitless words can be if no action follows.</li>
<li><strong>Meet your long-lost distant cousin, Homo luzonensis</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="homo_luzonensis">Ars Technica’s text</a> about the newly discovered species
that may be related to the “hobbit,” Homo floresiensis.</li>
<li><strong>The Case for Rooms</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="case_for_room">interesting CityLab article</a>
discussing on why closed floor plans may make more sense in the present
world than open floor plans.</li>
<li><strong>These Hawaiian Stick Spiders Have a Profound Case of Evolutionary Déjà Vu</strong> -
as <a class="reference external" href="hawaiian_stick_spiders">this article</a> reports, geographically
separated groups of spiders evolved to the same three ecological types.</li>
<li><strong>What I learned by living without artificial light</strong> - Linda Geddes decided
to live for weeks in only candlelight – no bulbs, no screens.
<a class="reference external" href="living_without_artificial_light">This <span class="caps">BBC</span> article</a> shows her findings
about this.</li>
<li><strong>Why Are So Many Monsters Hybrids?</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="hybrid_monsters">The Nautilus article</a> explores the captivating
horror of category violation.</li>
<li><strong>Why You Should Stop Reading News</strong>: We spend hours consuming news because
we want to be well informed. But is that time well spent?
<a class="reference external" href="stop_reading_news">This very interesting text</a> Farnam Street text
discusses about it.</li>
</ul>
2019, March2019-03-30T00:00:00-03:002019-03-30T00:00:00-03:00Maurício Gardinitag:None,2019-03-30:/curated-randomness/2019-march/<p class="first last">Here are the interesting links that I found on March 2019.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><strong>Dark Patterns.org</strong> - Dark Patterns are tricks used in websites and apps
that make you buy or sign up for things that you didn’t mean to. The purpose
of this <a class="reference external" href="https://darkpatterns.org/">site</a> is to spread awareness and to shame
companies that use them.</li>
<li><strong>Don’t Pursue Programming if You Aren’t Passionate About It</strong> - Like
<a class="reference external" href="https://medium.com/@ebbv/dont-pursue-programming-if-you-aren-t-passionate-about-it-a5bd4e33cd01">this article</a> discusses about, don’t
pursue programming if you don’t really like it.</li>
<li><strong>Four Column <span class="caps">ASCII</span></strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://garbagecollected.org/2017/01/31/four-column-ascii/">This article</a> shows why it’s interesting
to visualize the <span class="caps">ASCII</span> table in divisions of 32.</li>
<li><strong>The Good-Enough Life</strong> - The desire for greatness can be an obstacle to our
own potential. Great <a class="reference external" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/20/opinion/the-good-enough-life-philosophy.html">article</a>.</li>
<li><strong>How insects like bumblebees do so much with tiny brains</strong> - It is tempting
to assume that animals need large brains to perform complicated tasks, but
the immense skills of some insects and worms suggest small brains are
surprisingly powerful. Great <a class="reference external" href="http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170123-how-insects-like-bumblebees-do-so-much-with-tiny-brains">text</a> from <span class="caps">BBC</span>.</li>
<li><strong>How Meal Timings affect your waistline</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190304-how-meal-timings-affect-your-waistline">This report</a>
discusses how meal timing can be as important as the meal content itself.</li>
<li><strong>How Special Paint On The Hood Of The World War <span class="caps">II</span> Jeep Protected Soldiers’ Lives</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://jalopnik.com/how-special-paint-on-the-hood-of-the-world-war-ii-jeep-1826657149">Interesting article</a> talking about a very special
paint that was used during World War <span class="caps">II</span>.</li>
<li><strong>How to Know When to Give Up</strong> - Giving up isn’t always a failure.
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2019/03/14/when-to-give-up/">Scott H. Young’s text</a> explains why.</li>
<li><strong>List of eponymous laws</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_eponymous_laws">Wikipedia list</a> of
laws and principles named after a person.</li>
<li><strong>The Mother of All Demos, presented by Douglas Engelbart (1968)</strong> - As stated
on the <a class="reference external" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJDv-zdhzMY">video’s</a> description,
The Mother of All Demos is a name given retrospectively to Douglas Engelbart’s
December 9, 1968, demonstration of experimental computer technologies that are
now commonplace. The live demonstration featured the introduction of the
computer mouse, video conferencing, teleconferencing, hypertext, word
processing, hypermedia, object addressing and dynamic file linking,
bootstrapping, and a collaborative real-time editor.</li>
<li><strong>The Purpose of Sleep? To Forget, Scientists Say</strong> - Over the years,
scientists have come up with a lot of ideas about why we sleep.
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/science/sleep-memory-brain-forgetting.html">This New York Times article</a> discusses about
the subject.</li>
<li><strong>Scientists Have Confirmed a Brand New Phase of Matter: Time Crystals</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-just-announced-a-brand-new-form-of-matter-time-crystals">This text</a> brings information on a new phase of matter.
Looked kinda abstract for me, but an interesting read anyway.</li>
<li><strong>Successful male contraceptive gel trial brings new form of birth control closer</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/07/successful-male-contraceptive-gel-trial-brings-new-form-of-birth-control-closer-vasalgel">This text</a> reports about the advances on the
creation of a male contraceptive.</li>
<li><strong>A Visual and Interactive Guide to the Basics of Neural Networks</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://jalammar.github.io/visual-interactive-guide-basics-neural-networks/">The first part</a> of a simple to grasp guide to Neural Networks.</li>
<li><strong>A Visual And Interactive Look at Basic Neural Network Math</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://jalammar.github.io/feedforward-neural-networks-visual-interactive">The second part</a> of a simple to grasp guide to Neural Networks.</li>
<li><strong>What Is the Oldest Computer Program Still in Use?: you’ll probably be surprised by the answer.</strong> - At least I was surprised by the answer that
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/538966/what-is-the-oldest-computer-program-still-in-use/">this article</a> brought.</li>
<li><strong>Why You Do Your Best Thinking In The Shower: Creativity <span class="amp">&</span> the “Incubation Period”</strong> - Great
<a class="reference external" href="http://www.openculture.com/2014/12/why-you-do-your-best-thinking-in-the-shower.html">text</a> on why we have the best ideas while we are on the shower.</li>
<li><strong>Yes, There Have Been Aliens</strong> - Are there any aliens nowadays? We’re not
really sure. But <a class="reference external" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/opinion/sunday/yes-there-have-been-aliens.html">this text</a> explains that, at least in
the past, there are strong evidences that they existed.</li>
</ul>
2019, February2019-03-02T00:00:00-03:002019-03-02T00:00:00-03:00Maurício Gardinitag:None,2019-03-02:/curated-randomness/2019-february/<p class="first last">Here are the interesting links that I found on February 2019.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><strong>7 Rules for Creating Gorgeous <span class="caps">UI</span> (Updated for 2019) - Part 1</strong> - A
<a class="reference external" href="https://medium.com/@erikdkennedy/7-rules-for-creating-gorgeous-ui-part-1-559d4e805cda">guide to visual aesthetics</a>,
written by a nerd (Erik D. Kennedy).</li>
<li><strong>7 Rules for Creating Gorgeous <span class="caps">UI</span> (Updated for 2019) - Part 2</strong> - The second part
of <a class="reference external" href="https://medium.com/@erikdkennedy/7-rules-for-creating-gorgeous-ui-part-2-430de537ba96">Erik D. Kennedy’s guide</a>.</li>
<li><strong>Ant species cultivates coffee for accommodation</strong> - Scientists on the
island of Fiji have discovered a type of ant that plants, fertilizes and
guards its own coffee crops. More on that discovery is shown on the
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.dw.com/en/ant-species-cultivates-coffee-for-accommodation/a-36477533">article.</a></li>
<li><strong>Could an astronaut’s corpse bring new life to another world?</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="http://www.astronomy.com/news/2016/10/could-an-astronauts-corpse-bring-new-life-to-another-world">This article from Astronomy</a>
talks about the possibility of a corpse of a dead astronaut to bring life to
a new world.</li>
<li><strong>Creating distraction-free reading experiences</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://azumbrunnen.me/blog/creating-distraction-free-reading-experiences/">Adrian Zumbrunnen’s reflections</a>
on how to create pages on which the content is the main attraction and is
treated with due respect.</li>
<li><strong><span class="caps">CSS</span> Reference.io - Learn by example</strong> - It’s a
<a class="reference external" href="https://cssreference.io/">free visual guide to <span class="caps">CSS</span></a>. It features the most
popular properties, and explains them with illustrated and animated examples.</li>
<li><strong>Do Not Eat, Touch, Or Even Inhale the Air Around the Manchineel Tree</strong> -
Meet America’s deadliest tree on <a class="reference external" href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/whatever-you-do-do-not-eat-touch-or-even-inhale-the-air-around-the-manchineel-tree">this article</a>.</li>
<li><strong>Evidence that birds sleep in mid-flight</strong> - Many birds fly non-stop for days
or longer, but do they sleep in flight and if so, how?
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12468">This Nature’s scientific article</a> discuss about
this fact.</li>
<li><strong>Five Things You Notice When You Quit the News</strong> - Interesting
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.raptitude.com/2016/12/five-things-you-notice-when-you-quit-the-news">article</a> pointing out that following the news doesn’t
necessarily makes you a better citizen and could be taking some precious time
of yours.</li>
<li><strong>Google teaches “AIs” to invent their own crypto and avoid eavesdropping</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/10/google-ai-neural-network-cryptography">Ars Technica’s 2016 article</a>
talking about Google Brain’s creation of two AIs that managed to create a
cryptographic algorithm good enough to protect their exchange of messages from
a third <span class="caps">AI</span>.</li>
<li><strong>It’s Official: A Brand-New Human Organ Has Been Classified</strong> - It’s an
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.sciencealert.com/it-s-official-a-brand-new-human-organ-has-been-classified">article</a> from 2017, but still is pretty new,
comparing to other organ discoveries.</li>
<li><strong>Music for Programming</strong> - <a class="reference external" href="http://musicforprogramming.net/">A collection of playlists</a>
to aid in prolonged periods of intense concentration.</li>
<li><strong>Sweden’s six-hour working day is ‘too expensive’ and could be scrapped</strong> -
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/sweden-six-hour-working-day-too-expensive-scrapped-experiment-cothenburg-pilot-scheme-a7508581.html">This article</a> describes the results of a 2-year
pilot of a 6-hour working day experiment.</li>
<li><strong>Ten <span class="caps">CSS</span> One-Liners to Replace Native Apps</strong> - Proving the functionality of
<span class="caps">CSS</span> Multi-column Layout and <span class="caps">CSS</span> Figures, Håkon Wium Lie, the <span class="caps">CSS</span> proposer back
in 1994, shows <a class="reference external" href="https://alistapart.com/blog/post/ten-css-one-liners-to-replace-native-apps/">10 <span class="caps">CSS</span> one-liners</a> that try to replicate
some of the common designs that are seen on native apps.</li>
<li><strong>The triumphant rediscovery of the biggest bee on Earth</strong> - Ars Technica’s
<a class="reference external" href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/02/the-triumphant-rediscovery-of-the-biggest-bee-on-earth">article</a> on the rediscovery of the Wallace’s Giant Bee</li>
<li><strong>Wat</strong> - a humorous take on programming. Short and funny <a class="reference external" href="https://www.destroyallsoftware.com/talks/wat">talk</a>.</li>
<li><strong>What Do My Testicles Do All Day?</strong> - If you ever wondered about this…
Well, <a class="reference external" href="https://www.dollarshaveclub.com/content/story/what-do-my-testicles-do-all-day">this post</a> has the answer.</li>
<li><strong>Which Language Uses the Most Sounds? Click 5 Times for the Answer</strong> - The
New York Times’ <a class="reference external" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/25/world/what-in-the-world/click-languages-taa-xoon-xoo-botswana.html">article</a> talking about the
peculiarities of the Taa language.</li>
<li><strong>You’re an Adult. Your Brain, Not So Much.</strong> - The human brain reaches its
adult volume by age 10, but is it really finished? <a class="reference external" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/21/science/youre-an-adult-your-brain-not-so-much.html">This article</a>
talks about this.</li>
</ul>